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‘This was not supposed to happen. It wasn’t my time.’

‘Too bad,’ said Discordia, pityingly.

‘Mortal life is brief and futile,’ said Invidia, less sympathetically.

‘Why… why am I in the palace?’ Claudia said, looking around.

‘This is the place where you died. Now you must begin your pilgrimage, like every mortal soul.’

‘Why are you here to greet me?’

‘Don’t flatter yourself. We were merely bored,’ said Invidia. ‘We have infinite time to play with.’

‘We heard that the new empress had passed violently, and came to see what was happening,’ said Discordia, a little too gleefully. ‘We don’t get much gossip down here.’

‘We wanted to see what the fuss was about,’ said Invidia. ‘You are the one Minerva has started a war with her father for, after all. I thought you would be more impressive. You’re not very interesting to look at, but perhaps you are more interesting within than you appear in the skin.’

‘What do you know of war?’ Claudia asked. ‘The war between the goddesses and the gods?’

‘Minerva is assembling an army of goddesses, or something,’ said Invidia. ‘That’s the last thing I heard, from Bellona’s blessed dead. I wasn’t really paying attention.’

Claudia’s spirit throbbed with hope.

‘We know only that Minerva wants to overthrow her father,’ said Discordia. ‘But who doesn’t?’

‘Many have tried and failed. Look at Vulcan.’

‘And Neptune. Now they are among the stars.’

‘She can count me out,’ said Invidia. ‘I can think of far better ways to waste away my endless days.’

‘You are content, just to put up with it?’ said Claudia. ‘I thought you were a vengeance goddess.’

‘I was, once. But I have no followers, no shrines. My power is waning. The underworld never changes. It is always the same, no matter who rules. Saturn, Jupiter, Pluto, Minerva… It makes no difference to us.’

‘What if you were no longer banished?’

‘It is hopeless. We have tried to change their minds. Minerva will fail, and the pantheon will stay the same.’

‘Not this time. This time, she will succeed.’

‘You mortals are so optimistic. You wouldn’t be that cheerful if you had seen what we have seen. Countless cycles of victory and loss. So many wars and so many kings.’

‘That is why I need to go back,’ said Claudia. ‘How do I return?’

‘There is no way back.’

Claudia withered under the glare of their double gaze.

‘But my time was cut short,’ she said. ‘Please, I must return.’

‘We already told you. You cannot.’

‘You don’t understand,’ insisted Claudia. ‘I’m Minerva’s charge. I must be there, for when she wages war with Jupiter.’

‘No one cares who you were any more,’ said Invidia.

‘They don’t care who you are, either,’ said Discordia. ‘That’s one good thing about the underworld.’